Starting again, again,.

Welcome Pat and well done on reaching 41 days without a bet.

Just think where you were 41 days ago and where you are now.

And also where you will be in 41 days time when you don't place any more bets.

All the best,

GT

Well done for starting a diary pat,I know you've been meaning to start one for a while. Well done on 41 days,I'm on day 34,mainly thanks to this sites advice and support. Its been a struggle at times,I use to bet on any sport and horse racing,never touched fobts thank god. The one thing that this site has embedded in my head,is that we can't win cos we can't stop,so what's the point! Keep goin strong pat. CL.

Hi Pat,

Wow, 41 days, from where I'm at the moment that seems like forever! How have you managed to stay focussed for so long?

I look forward to reading your thoughts - it's always interesting reading how people are coping (or not coping), and their successes and sometimes failures. There's strength to be gained from all the people here, even if you don't agree with everything you read.

Thanks for your comments on my diary too, we're not so dissimilar. BTW, I really like the idea of putting £2 aside every day and then treating yourself/someone. I'm going to do that myself from 1st Nov.

mm

MM

Hi CL,

Thanks for posting, like you the FOBT never attracted me, mostly horses and dogs sometimes matches. when i think back to the last bet i had (lost my wages again during a lunch break) and see myself today i feel like a different man, slowly but surely i am moving forward to a gamble free life and that feels so good.

Hi MM,

the £2 started as a bit of a private joke on myself considering all i have lost but i have £82 in my desk at work this morning and it feels good. on the staying focused, the first few weeks were very easy, as mentioned above the wages were lost and i had a very lean month ahead of me, i handed my wife my credit card as we needed to get something online and have not looked for it back.

since then i think i have begun to equate gambling more with loosing my family than loosing money, and that for me just cannot happen. I have read a few posts on "supporting a problem gambler" not sure if you have read anything there, i read posts from wives/partners of CG's that were at the end of the line with their partners beacuse of gambline, the thought of my wife posting (feeling) that she had lost all respect for me and no longer loved me really scares the bejesus out of me. that is now what i think of whenever the "urge" calls, this thought drives me on to refrain. my wife deserves better, my kids deserve better and i deserve better.

Reading the above i really wish i had being able to write/talk about this 10 years ago....

No looking back, only forward to better things.

We can do this, we owe it to ourselves.

Pat

Haven't read 'supporting a problem gambler', but shall do so later. Makes me nervous to just think what's there (my other half doesn't know). Might be a good boost for me, I'm still feeling the urges.

mm

Hi Pat

Just a tip! But try and not count. I used to count but kept relapsing. Today is the only important day to you. If you don't gamble today then you have succeeded in your goal. State to yourself you are a non gambler rather than it's been X amount of days since I gambled. Either way you sound in god shape. Take care

Keep up the gd work Pat,your doin grand. I rkn your aching today after your five a side?- That would be the end of me,I hung my boots up years ago,I talk a gd game these days. Be strong over the wkd. CL.

hi CL,

the body is aching all over, the football was tough but so much fun, will be back for more next week.

Weekend should be good, am doing a 5K run (slow jog for me) and 20k cycle saturday with my better half, so wont be fit to even think about betting on sunday, trying my best to keep busy, it really helps.

hope all ok with you.

Smiler, thanks for the tip, i understand what your saying, i think the counting really helps me, i tried to quit a number of times before and i focused on the debt and reducing that, i failed everytime very quickly.

This time i feel much more positive, the days give me targets to work to but dont put me under pressure.

Pat

Hi Pat

Justed wanted to say thankyou for the lovely post on my diary it made my day 🙂

I dont do the countig of days either but I think its a persoal choice and watever works best for you is great.

Keep up the fantasti work and heres to many sucessful days ahead 🙂

Best wishes

Andrew

Hi Pat,

Just to balance it up, I want to tell you that i DO count my days, and it helps me because I don't think I've ever gone 13 days before (well, just qualify that, from home...when I've been on hloiday I haven't always had the opportunity).

Maybe it's not your thing, and you wrote a little on MY diary, but you might want to say a bit more about where you are, debts etc, and how you got there? On the other hand, since you've got a month and a half under your belt and you're doing extremely well with a great positive attitude, you might not!

mm

Another positive day. Just home from doing a duathlon with my better half, I am wrecked. Never did anything like that before and I must say really enjoyed it, expect to be very sore tomorrow. Most important thing never even thought of gambling today

Hope weekend going well for everyone on here.

Pay day today. This time 2 months ago at this time I was stressing over how I could cover loosing half my wages during lunch without anyone (my wife) finding out.

Today I just payed some outstanding bills and laid out my buget for the rest of the month. Such a relief to be in this position today. I feel things are going so well for me but know one bet would put me back to where I was 2 months ago. I know there is a long struggle ahead of me but I am confident I will not be found wanting this time.

Pat